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Tag: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

  • DTH players seek removal of eight per cent licence fee to stay competitive

    DTH players seek removal of eight per cent licence fee to stay competitive

    Mumbai: Direct-to-home (DTH) players have approached the government to waive the eight per cent license fee imposed on them that is in line with a similar proposal for broadband services so that they remain competitive in the market.

    According to a PTI report, the industry body DTH association has approached the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) following a proposal under consideration of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to waive the licence fee for broadband services.

    In a letter dated 11 May sent to the I&B ministry, the industry body said the DTH volumes have been declining quarter on quarter for a while now and has put thousands of crores of investments and employment of over a lakh direct and indirect employees of the sector at risk.

    The number of active subscribers with pay DTH operators decreased from 69.86 million at the end of June to 68.89 million by the end of September, according to latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) data.

    It added that broadband is expanding very fast and is being used for content distribution as well.

    The industry body welcomed the proposal to remove licence fees to help the consumers but requested that “the same policy may be applicable to DTH, and therefore seek a waiver of licence fees in line with DoT proposed decision.”

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has recommended the DoT to waive license fees on broadband services for five years.

    “Now with the licence fee being waived for broadband, hence IPTV, OTT will become an even more formidable force and DTH will remain the only distribution platform paying an eight per cent content license fee while distributing just as cable, HITS, FreeDish, and IPTV do, making DTH the most uncompetitive in comparison to every other content distribution platform,” the association said.

  • MIB broadens the list of sports events of national importance

    MIB broadens the list of sports events of national importance

    Mumbai: The Ministry of Information And Broadcasting (MIB) has under the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007, broadened the list of sports events of national importance, according to a recent notification. These events will now be shared with Prasar Bharati as the broadcast rights holder.

    In terms of cricket, the good news for the Board Of Control For Cricket in India (BCCI) is that there is no mention of the Indian Premier League (IPL) whose media rights will be decided in an e-auction next month. All sports leagues have been kept out of the list. Under the sports act, all test matches played by India are covered. Earlier, only test matches deemed of high interest were covered.

    ODIs and Twenty20 matches played by India were already covered. Also, among other new things that have now come under the Act the semi-finals and finals of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship will have to be shared. India playing matches, Semi-finals and finals of the Under-19 World Cup will now have to be shared. All Olympic Games including the Winter Olympics are now covered under the Act. The Commonwealth Games and Asian Games continue to be covered under the Act.

    These are all the events that will have to be shared with Prasar Bharati. Some were already covered under previous notifications. Some events in football, shooting and archery are deemed of national importance only if India is hosting those events. Following are the lists:

    Cricket

    (a) All official One-Day, Twenty-20 and Test matches played by the Indian Men’s and Women’s Cricket Team and all ICC Test matches featuring India

    (b) Semi-finals and finals of ICC Men’s and Women’s One-Day International World Cup

    (c) Semi-finals and finals of ICC Men’s and Women’s Twenty-20 World Cup

    (d) All Semi-finals and finals of ICC Champions Trophy (One Day)

    (e) All Semi-finals and finals of ICC World Test Championship

    (f) Semi-finals and finals of ICC Men’s and Women’s Asia Cup (Twenty -20 and One-Day International)

    (g) India playing matches, Semi-finals and finals of Under-19 World Cup.

    Tennis

    (a) Davis Cup-All matches featuring India

    (b) Grand Slam Tournaments – Finals of Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles and all matches featuring Indian players from quarter-finals onwards

    (c) Grand Slam Tournaments – All such matches featuring Indian players in men’s doubles, Women’s doubles or Mixed doubles from quarter-finals onwards.

    Hockey

    (a) World Cup – All matches featuring India and semi-finals and finals

    (b) Champions Trophy – All matches featuring India and finals

    (c) Indira Gandhi Gold Cup for Women-Semi-finals and finals

    (d) Hockey India Sub-Junior National Championship and Hockey India Academy National Championship

    (e) Hockey Men’s Junior Men World Cup*

    (f) Sultan Azlan Shah Cup- All matches featuring India, Semi-finals and finals;

    (g) International Hockey Federation (FIH) – Hockey Pro League matches.

    Football

    (a) World Cup – Opening match, quarterfinals, semi-finals and finals

    (b) Asia Cup – All matches featuring India and semi-finals and finals

    (c) Santosh Trophy – Semi-finals and finals

    (d) Asian Women’s Football Cup*

    (e) Under-17 Federation Internationale de Football Association Women’s World Cup*

    (f) World Cup (Under – 17) – Opening match, quarterfinals, semi-finals and finals.

    Badminton

    (a) All England Open Badminton Championship – All matches featuring Indian players, semifinals and finals

    (b) Badminton World Federation World Cup Championship – All matches featuring Indian players, semi-finals and finals.

    Kabaddi

    World Cup – All matches featuring India, semi-finals and finals.

    Khelo India Games

    (a) Khelo India Games

    (b) Khelo India School Games

    (c) Khelo India Youth Games

    (d) Khelo India University Games

    (e) Khelo India Games for differently abled persons

    (f) Khelo India Games for Indigenous Sports

    (g) Khelo India Winter Games.

    Other Events

    (a) International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup Event*

    (b) Commonwealth Shooting Championship*;

    (c) Commonwealth Archery Championship*

    (d) International events organised by National Sports Federations recognized by the Government of India.

  • MIB cancels three MSO licenses in April

    MIB cancels three MSO licenses in April

    Mumbai: The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) reported that there are 1761 registered multi-system operators (MSOs) as of 30 April compared to 1763 registered MSOs on 22 March. The ministry granted one new license, cancelled three licenses and rejected two applications for license in the month of April.

    MIB granted Manipur-based Infotainment Service & Communication Pvt Ltd license to operate on 21 March. It cancelled the license of RK Digital Cable TV Network, Panduranga Cable Network for being non-operational as well as Dewshree Network Pvt Ltd. The ministry rejected the applications of Shivam Cable & Broadband Pvt Ltd and Rallyon Technology due to suppression of vital information.

    Previously, MIB had granted 13 licenses between 31 December 2021 and 21 March 2022 including the MSOs Sky Media, SGRA Satellite Cable Network, Dainik Savera News and Media Network, Sai Namo Digital Cable Network, Inishia Media, Ganapati Digital Network, Swastika, Grand Gumber Network, Digital Fusion Network, Raaga Communication, SSCN Digital TV and Broadband, Assistive Netspeed Technologies and Asiasat Channel and Consultancy India.

  • MIB condemns reporting of Russia-Ukraine conflict and Delhi demolition in advisory

    MIB condemns reporting of Russia-Ukraine conflict and Delhi demolition in advisory

    Mumbai: The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has issued an advisory prohibiting satellite TV channels to transmit programming that is violative of the Programme Code under Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995. The ministry observed that the reporting of the Ukraine-Russia conflict and recent demolition incident in North-West Delhi are “misleading, sensationalist and have communal overtones.”

    Relating to the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the I&B ministry highlighted that TV channels have been making false claims and frequently misquoting international agencies/actors. That they have been using ‘scandalous headlines/taglines’ that are completely unrelated to the news item. And that many of the journalists and news anchors of these channels made fabricated and hyperbolic statements intending to incite the audiences.

    Similarly, the reporting for the incident in North-West Delhi “made use of provocative headlines and videos of violence that may incite communal hatred among the communities and disrupt peace and law and order,” according to the ministry. The coverage disrupted the ongoing investigation process by playing scandalous and unverified CCTV footage. By showing footage of a specific community thus aggravating the communal tensions and fabricated headlines sensationalising and giving communal colours to the actions of authority.

    The ministry also stated that in the news, “some of the channels broadcast debates having unparliamentary, provocative and socially unacceptable language, communal remarks and derogatory references which may have a negative psychological impact on viewers and may also incite communal disharmony and disturb the peace at large.”

    As per the provisions of the Programme Code, no programme should be carried in the cable service which (a) offends against good taste or decency (b) contains criticisms of friendly countries (c) contains attack on religions or communities or visuals or words contemptuous of religious groups or which promote communal attitudes (d) contains anything, obscene, defamatory, deliberate, false and suggestive innuendos and half-truths.

  • MIB constitutes AVGC promotion task force

    MIB constitutes AVGC promotion task force

    Mumbai: The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has constituted the animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) promotion task force to promote the AVGC sector in the country. The government’s intention to form the task force was first made in the union budget 2022-23.

    The AVGC promotion task force shall be headed by the MIB secretary and will comprise the secretaries of the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship, the department of higher education, the ministry of education, the ministry of electronics and information technology, and the department of promotion of industry and internal trade.

    The task force will also have the participation of industry partners such as Technicolor India country head Biren Ghosh, Punaryug Artvision Pvt Ltd, Anibrain founder and CEO Jesh Krishna Murthy, Redchillies VFX COO and VFX producer Keitan Yadav, Whistling Woods International chief technology officer Chaitanya Chinchlikar, Zynga India senior vice president and country head Kishore Kichili, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment managing director and CEO Neeraj Roy.

    The AVGC promotion task force also includes state governments of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana, heads of education bodies such as the All India Council of Technical Education, National Council of Educational Research and Training, and representatives of industry bodies such as MESC, FICCI, and CII.

    The aim of the AVGC promotion task force is to “guide the policies of growth for this sector, establish standards for AVGC education in India, actively collaborate with industry and international AVGC institutes, and enhance the global positioning of the Indian AVGC industry,” said the statement.  

    The terms of reference of the task force include framing a national AVGC policy, recommending a national curriculum framework for graduation, post-graduation and doctoral courses in AVGC related sectors, facilitating skilling initiatives in collaboration with academic institutions, vocational training centers and industry boost employment opportunities, facilitate promotion and market development activities to extend the global reach of Indian AVGC industry and enhance exports and recommend incentives to attract FDI in AVGC sector.

    The task force will submit its first action plan within 90 days.

    “The AVGC sector in India has the potential to capture five per cent or ~$40 billion of the global market share by the year 2025, with an annual growth of around 25-30 per cent and creating over 1,60,000 new jobs annually,” according to MIB.  

  • MIB grants 13 new MSO licences in January-March 2022

    MIB grants 13 new MSO licences in January-March 2022

    Mumbai: The ministry of information and broadcasting reported that there are 1763 registered multi-system operators (MSOs) as of 21 March as compared to 1752 registered MSOs at the end of January. The ministry has granted 13 new licenses to MSOs between 31 December 2021 and 21 March 2022.

    Among the new licensees are Sky Media, SGRA Satellite Cable Network, Dainik Savera News and Media Network, Sai Namo Digital Cable Network, Inishia Media, Ganapati Digital Network, Swastika, Grand Gumber Network, Digital Fusion Network, Raaga Communication, SSCN Digital TV and Broadband, Assistive Netspeed Technologies and Asiasat Channel and Consultancy India.

    It also granted two provisional registrations to Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation, which operates in the state of Tamil Nadu only, and to Godfather Communication, which operates only in Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, and Himachal Pradesh.

    The ministry cancelled the licenses of eight MSOs including Sai Enterprise, Anil Kumar Singh, SSV Cable, Kavali Entertainment, Vimitel Network, Hubli Digital Cable Net and Broadband Services, Star Club Cable and Broadband and Bhyraveshwara Cable Network since January.

  • India M&E industry projected to reach $100 billion by 2030: Apurva Chandra

    India M&E industry projected to reach $100 billion by 2030: Apurva Chandra

    Mumbai: The Indian media and entertainment industry is valued at $28 billion and is projected to reach $100 billion by 2030 growing at a cumulative growth rate of 12 per cent, said the ministry of information and broadcasting secretary Apurva Chandra. Chandra was addressing a roundtable organised by the India Pavilion at the Dubai Expo.

    Chandra mentioned that the MIB will set up an AVGC (animation, visual effects, gaming and comics) task force by the end of March 2022 “with the purpose of formulating the AVGC policy to further facilitate the companies in the sector.”

    Chandra was leading a delegation of the ministry comprising actor R Madhavan, Doordarshan director-general Mayank Agarwal, I&B ministry joint secretary Vikram Sahay, Central Board of Film Certification CEO and National Film Development Corp of India managing director Ravinder Bhakar.

    The I&B secretary also met with Channel 2 Group Corp chairman Ajay Sethi on the matter of starting a live radio channel in India dedicated to sports. “The current broadcasting of live cricket in India on radio lacks quality and content and there is a delay of around 11 seconds as well,” said Chandra.  

    Channel 2 Group is ready to invest in infrastructure, marketing, and content and sought the support of the government of India in terms of the channel. The company is in a 60:40 revenue sharing model Prasar Bharati but is not producing content. Channel 2 Group operates FM channels in Dubai, a TV channel in Kenya, Media City, cricket teams in the Caribbean and South Africa among other key activities. The company also owns ICC global cricket radio rights.

    SS Rajamouli’s film “RRR” was launched globally at the Dubai Expo in the presence of the I&B secretary, global media houses, and key delegates from India and UAE. The director and actors Ram Charan and NT Rama Rao Jr were also present at the event.

  • SC stays centre’s ban on Malayalam news channel MediaOne

    SC stays centre’s ban on Malayalam news channel MediaOne

    Mumbai: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim relief to Malayalam news channel MediaOne, staying the central government’s decision to revoke the channel’s security clearance.

    A bench of justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and Vikram Nath ordered that the channel can resume operations in the same manner in which it was being operated before revocation of security clearance, according to a report by Bar and Bench.

    The apex court also directed the government to file its counter affidavit in the matter.

    On the issue of whether the files containing adverse intelligence inputs can be disclosed to the channel or not, the court said it would keep the issue open for final disposal.

    The appeal by MediaOne had challenged the Kerala high court division bench judgment which had upheld the central government’s ban.

    The channel, owned by Madhyamam Broadcasting, had applied for broadcast permissions to be renewed from 30 September 2021 to 29 September 2022. MediaOne was issued a notice by the I&B ministry on 5 January revoking broadcasting permissions under the uplinking and downlinking guidelines stating that it was denied security clearance by the ministry of home affairs. In response to a show-cause notice by the ministry, the company mentioned that they are “unaware of the grounds of denial of security clearance.”

    When the case was heard by the Kerala high court, the central government told the bench that the decision to revoke the license was based on credible national security concerns, however, it refused to state what the concerns raised by MHA were and contended that a party cannot insist on observing natural justice principles in a situation involving national security.

  • Option of further delaying news channel ratings being discussed: Reports

    Option of further delaying news channel ratings being discussed: Reports

    Mumbai: The Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India is contemplating the option of postponing the date of resuming TRP ratings. The TV measurement body had announced in February that ratings for news channels would resume on 17 March.

    As per a PTI report, several news channels have reached out to Barc asking for the release of TRP rating data from different periods.

    Some have asked that only data from mid-March be released, while others have suggested data of the previous three months be released. Different bodies of TV news channels have also expressed their views. So, the ministry is looking into the option on whether to extend the date for TRP rating resumption, according to the report.

    Barc suspended ratings for individual channels in the news genre in October 2020 following a TRP rigging scam allegedly involving some private channels.

    The I&B ministry directed Barc to maintain the status quo in February 2021 in view of alleged reports of manipulation of ratings data and review the whole ecosystem of publishing of ratings. It instituted a committee under chairmanship of Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati to make recommendations on strengthening the TV ratings ecosystem in India.

    The ministry had asked Barc to resume the release of news ratings on 12 January after review of steps taken by the TV measurement agency on corporate governance, streamlining of processes and their transparency.

  • Kerala HC upholds ban on Malayalam channel MediaOne

    Kerala HC upholds ban on Malayalam channel MediaOne

    Mumbai: The Kerala high court has dismissed the appeal by Malayalam news channel against the single judge order upholding the recent ban imposed on it by the ministry of information and broadcasting citing security concerns.

    A division bench of chief justice S Manikumar and justice Shaji P Chaly upheld the order passed by the ministry of information and broadcasting refusing the broadcast license granted to MediaOne. “We have perused the confidential files and we are convinced that there is threat to national security,” said the bench while pronouncing the verdict.

    Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited which operates the channel MediaOne had applied for renewal of permission on 3 May 2021 and was denied security clearance by the ministry of home affairs. Subsequently, the ministry of information and broadcasting revoked the company’s license to uplink and downlink Malayalam news channel MediaOne on 31 January citing security concerns.

    As per the I&B ministry’s order, clause 9.2 of the uplinking guidelines stipulates that security clearance of a company and its directors is a prerequisite condition for grant of permission for TV channels.

    In addition to the channel, appeals were also filed by its employees including its editor against the I&B ministry’s decision which were also rejected by a single judge on 8 February.

    This is the second time that the channel has been barred from airing. In March 2020, Asianet News and MediaOne TV had been barred for 48 hours by I&B ministry citing security concerns.